Dental implants are Titanium screws that are placed into the jaw bone which support artificial tooth/teeth.  Dental implants are very widely used to replace missing tooth/teeth in patients.  Although they have high success rates, long term maintenance and regular check ups for dental implants is essential.  This is because, dental implants may get a form of gum disease called Peri-implantitis.

Peri-implantitis results in the loss of bone around dental implants.  This is considered synonymous with periodontitis around natural teeth.  If left untreated, peri-implantitis can result in the loss of dental implant.  It is thought that peri-implantitis is caused by bacteria in dental plaque.  Studies have shown that the prevalence of peri-implantitis can be up to 30%.  The three major risk factors for the development of peri-implantitis seem to be genetic predisposition, smoking and history of periodontitis.  The symptoms vary for peri-implantitis which may include bleeding around the gum of the implant, loose implant or pus arising from the implant.  Treatment for peri-implantitis varies from simply cleaning around the dental implant with antibiotics to complex procedure which may include surgical treatment.  The treatment strategies are aimed at prevention of the loss of implant and stopping the progression of bone loss around the implant.

Therefore, it is advocated that patients who have dental implants have at least (if not more frequent) annual check ups which include a dental x-ray of the dental implant.  If you require more information, please contact our practice.